Black History Month

Past Observances

• 2025

  The national theme for Black History Month 2025 is African Americans and Labor, highlighting how labor—from labor performed by slaves to the progress made during the Civil Rights movement to our current environment—has affected Black people throughout history and today. The work of Black people has contributed to every aspect of American life. 

  Member Stories

  Undaunted: Building Generational Pathways for Success Advertisement  –  ACOG CEO Sandra E. Brooks, MD, MBA, FACOG

  You Were Made for Such a Time as This  –  Angela Hawkins, MD, FACOG

  Putting Expertise and Experience to Work  –  Dyanne Tappin, MD, MPH, FACOG

  Honoring America’s Black Heroes: A Labor of Love  –  Alicia Y. Christy, MD, FACOG

  Honoring Resilience: Reflections on Black History Month  –  Ngozi Osuagwu, MD, MBA, MSCP, FACOG

   
• 2024

  The 2024 theme for Black History Month was African Americans and the Arts. This year, ACOG sought to give a platform to art made by Black members of the ACOG community. We invited members to share artwork of their own creation alongside their words about what motivated it. Because art can take many forms—including the practice of medicine!—we welcomed contributions such as visual art, written art, music, and more.

  Member Stories

  Looking in the Mirror – Ngozi Osuagwu, MD, FACOG

  Standing with and for My Patients: Art and Activism – Retired Colonel Alicia Y. Christy, MD, MHSCR, FACOG

  My Manifestation, My Mission – Kayla Eboreime, MD

  The Skin You're In – Vonda Roebuck Ware, MD, FACOG

  It Is True, I Was Created in You: An Art Exhibition and Benefit for Maternal Health – Tonya S. Wright, MD, FACOG

  Listen, a poem – Shamanique Bodie-Williams, MD, FACOG

• 2023

  The theme for Black History Month 2023 was Black Resistance. ACOG sought to hear from members about how they created, benefited from, or saw the need for space to resist racism and work toward equity in medicine or within their institutions.

  Member Stories

  Art and Activism: Creating Space as a Form of Resistance – Retired Colonel Alicia Y. Christy, MD, MHSCR, FACOG

  Black Resistance – Ashanda Saint Jean, MD, FACOG

  The Voice from the Back of the Room – Shamanique Bodie-Williams, MD, FACOG

  My Black History Story Rooted in an HBCU – Sheila Allison, MD, FACOG

   

• 2022

  In celebration of Black History Month, ACOG members shared how they are honor Black health and wellness.

  Member Stories

  Black Maternal Health and the Black Family – Joy West, MD

  Honoring Black History and Wellness Every Day – Tamika Auguste, MD

  Honoring Black Health and Wellness as a Medical Student – Rebekah Russell, MPH

  Reflections on a Dream Fulfilled – Ashanda Saint Jean, MD

  Our Shared Responsibility – Gloria Richard-Davis, MD

  A Legacy of Activism – Alicia Y. Christy, MD

  Honoring Black Health and Wellness as a Senior Physician – Washington Clark Hill, MD

  Honoring Black Patients’ Experiences – Janelle R. Bolden, MD

  You Matter: Reflections on Black History Month – Omar M. Young, MD

  How Do You Honor Black Health and Wellness? – Ebony B. Carter, MD

  Honoring Black Health through Counseling – Mai Hoang, MD

• 2021

  This year, ACOG celebrated Black History Month by hearing from members of the ACOG community about notable Black figures who inspired them and impacted the care their patients received.

  Member Stories

  A Tribute to Henrietta Lacks – Haywood L. Brown, MD, ACOG Past President

  We Are Because They Were: Recognizing Rebecca Lee Crumpler, MD – Alexis Griffin, MD

  Recognizing Lucy, Betsey, and Anarcha – Veronica Maria Pimentel, MD, FACOG

  Honoring Mary Eliza Mahoney – Amy Ushry, MPH, RN, CCM

  Recognizing Modern Black Leaders in Medicine: Joia Crear-Perry, MD – Kayla Eboreime

Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha Days of Recognition

Each year on February 28 and March 1, ACOG honors Betsey, Lucy, and Anarcha—enslaved Black women whose suffering led to key advances in obstetrics and gynecology.

Learn More and Honor Their Legacy